It's probably not as bad as you think
We had a few very hot days this week at the Ironroad house. The downstairs A/C unit stopped working, and the outside temperatures were in the upper 90's. Not a happy time.
I knew we needed to call the repair company, but I dreaded the news we'd receive after the diagnostic. In my mind, we were looking at thousands of dollars worth of repairs.
We reached the point of no return Tuesday afternoon, when temperatures were close to unbearable. I decided whatever the cost was, we'd have to close our eyes and pull the trigger. I set the appointment.
The repairman showed up yesterday at noon, and I pretended to be busy in the kitchen while he examined the unit -- trying not to pace as I nervously waited for the official diagnosis.
The sound of disposable shoe covers grew closer as he shuffled his way up the basement stairs. He went into Chris's office (why, in 2025, do they still go and look for the man of the house??) and I overheard him say...
It was just a simple power issue. We only needed to replace one part, and we'd be all set.
HOLY. RELIEF.
What I thought would be thousands of dollars ended up being just a few hundred for the diagnostic visit and the part replacement (they tried to get us for a few hundred more, but luckily Chris is a handy fella and could knock out the follow-up by himself. Great work, CI!). Less than an hour later, cool air was flowing from the vents again, and we might as well have heard angels singing, we were so happy.
The lesson learned:
Sometimes it is as bad as you think it's going to be... but it's usually not. You can waste a lot of energy on the mirage of the worst-case scenario when you'd be much better off getting the real picture.
Make the call. Send the email. Book the appointment. Have the conversation. Get the actual data before you decide how major this issue is. Check in with God and get His perspective. Chances are, what you're actually looking at is a fraction of what you imagined it to be. And let's be real. Even if it is as bad as you think, at least you'll know for sure and can take action to make it better.
Phewwww.
